Her Protector by Crystal (Briana_D)

The Protector

Disclaimer: I don't own any characters from Inuyasha, it's the sole property of Goddess Romiko Takahashi, and I cannot take credit for her genius.

Kagome is a college student unaware of the mortal peril she is in. He's a bitter silver – haired Adonis with a checkered past and a vow to protect humans. So when the two meet, it's a given that fireworks follow...

R&R please!

A/N: A big thanks to my wonderful beta, Rowdyjaner. You are the best! Any mistakes are still all mine!

::Thwack::

::Thwack::

Two bullets slammed into the concrete wall in rapid succession inches away from the silver-haired demon's face. 'That was close...too damn close for comfort.' Without moving an inch from his position near the open car door, Sesshoumaru rapidly sniffed, identifying his mark as the same boar Youkai whom he was hunting. With a calm, detached expression, he pointed his gun towards the mark with inhuman speed and let fly a bullet.

The resounding thud and hoarse cry told the demon lord that the bullet had met its mark, even if the copper smell of blood had not saturated the air. He scanned the air with his senses for other hidden threats before striding off to attend to his adversary. The youkai was dead, the hollow point bullet having blown off half of its head.

Rubbing a tired hand across his face, Sesshoumaru walked back towards the car calling out "It's alright, Mr. Otani. You can come out now."

He watched dispassionately as Kaigaishii Otani, owner of the largest electronics brand in Japan and the target of several death threats, crawled out from under the backseat of the car. Smelling the petrified man's fear, the demon's golden eyes briefly glowed with amusement. 'Whoever named him Kaigaishii sure must have had a good laugh!'

"Relax, Mr. Otani. The threat to your life has been eliminated by this Sesshoumaru."

Flipping his phone open, the demon lord called the police. Within seconds, the entire parking lot was filled with cops as they took control of the situation. His job and responsibility over now, with Mr. Otani safe in the hands of the cops and his regular bodyguards, Sesshoumaru finally dropped his guard and walked back towards his car.

"Well done, Mr. Taisho."

At the sound of the thin, reedy voice, Sesshoumaru showed the first sign of emotion that evening on his usually stoic face. A slight flicker of surprise and annoyance flashed across his face and, just as quickly, was quelled as he turned to face his boss.

He nodded at her and quietly said, "Kaede, thank you."

Stopping him from leaving, Kaede raised her hand imperiously, "Wait! Sesshoumaru, you are the best undercover bodyguard at Divine Protections. In the past 5 years you have been a valuable asset to my company and have resolved several high-profile celebrity threat situations. I can easily say that you are the best operative that we have ever had."

Glancing at his cold amber eyes, she knew he would not like what she had to say next. Mentally girding up her loins, she took a deep breath and continued "However, it has come to my notice that you are over-exerting yourself. In all these years you have never taken time off, instead you push yourself case after case. Sesshoumaru, you need to-"

With anger flashing in his eyes, he growled at her, "Do not presume to tell this Sesshoumaru what he needs. Drop it now, Kaede."

"No! I will NOT drop this. I cannot stand aside and watch you endanger yourself or the lives of your clients." She placed her hand on his shoulder and softly said, "In the past, you would have detected the mark and taken him down before he could even think of taking a shot at the client. Today, the mark shot at you twice before you could get a fix on him. Twice!"

"Woman! Cease troubling me. He got lucky, nothing else. I know how to protect my clients so I don't need your lectures. What I need is another case...maybe something connected to the Eyeless murders."

Kaede rolled her eyes at his high handedness. "Sesshoumaru you leave me no choice – as of today you are on leave for a week. Do not come to Divine Protection. Even if you come, I will not assign you any new cases. So there is no point in trying to argue." Patting his arm, trying to soothe the waves of anger she felt from him, she sighed and said, "I'm sorry, Sesshoumaru, but you have to stop punishing yourself this way. It was a long time ago and you were not at fault. She..."

"Enough!!" The enraged demon thundered. "Don't you..." Abruptly, he turned around and strode away to the car. Wrenching the car door open, he got in and slammed the door close. He took a few deep breaths and rested his head against the steering wheel to clear his head and calm himself. Kaede's words had once again refreshed the wounds in his heart. 'Not my fault? Of course, it was my fault. ALL my fault....What I did was beastly...I failed her...I should have...'

He howled mournfully as memories of her crashed down on him. Memories that he had tried so hard to forget and that ripped his heart into pieces. Memories of the pain on her face when he had betrayed her trust, when he had broken his vow. Memories of her ...

Shaking miserably, he fought to overcome his emotions. It wouldn't do for anyone to see him, Sesshoumaru Taisho, Lord of the Western Lands, like this. It had taken him years to build a reputation as a cold, heartless killing machine. After all, he had a name to live up to. He had to be strong and imposing. No one knew the tangled mess of emotions that he was inside. No one except for Kaede. And Rin.

"Rin" He breathed in relief. 'I should give her a call, she must be worried.' Now that he had a purpose, he straightened up again and called home.

"Taisho residence, Rin speaking"

Just hearing her voice calmed him. "Rin"

He could almost hear the smile in her voice as she replied sultrily, "Hey baby. How's the case?"

"I've wrapped up the case. What about your application to Tokyo University?"

"Sessy!" she squealed in an excited voice completely opposite to her earlier sensual one, "I can't believe it. I got through!"

"Excellent! Let's celebrate. How about Poison?"

"Wow! That's the hottest new club in town. Great! Um, I'll be there in, um, fifteen minutes."

Snapping the phone close, Sesshoumaru smiled. Rin was his saviour. No matter how depressed, frustrated or angry he was, she had an uncanny knack for making him smile. The earlier feelings of guilt and sadness had mostly retreated to the corner of his mind where they permanently resided. The remaining few twinges would be banished with the help of a punishing case of drunkenness. Pulling away from the parking lot, Sesshoumaru prayed that Rin's couple minutes wouldn't turn into an hour. 'Rin, please hurry. I need the distraction!'

"I need the distraction."

"Kagome, you know it's not safe these days for young girls to be loitering around."

"Inuyasha! Come on, don't be a babyyyyy. It'll be fun. And, plus, what do I have to fear with you around me. I mean, with a powerful hanyou like you for a friend, who's gonna mess with me?"

"Keh! I'm being serious, wench"

"As am I. Ever since the Eyeless murders, mom's gone ballistic. She won't let me step out of the house. I'm dying here. Please Inuyasha, in a couple of day's we'll be back at Tokyo University. Can't we just chill out for one evening?"

"Kagome, you'll be the death of me. Okay! So where are we going?"

"Um... I thought we could go to Poison."

"Fine. See you there in ten minutes. Bye."

"Bye!"

Kagome Higurashi closed the phone and did a small victory dance. Today she was planning to party till she dropped. And not just party anywhere, she was going to the hottest club in town with her best friend. Almost quivering in excitement, Kagome quickly slipped into denim cargos and a figure hugging black and red halter-top with a plunging neckline. Satisfied that she was ready for a night on the town, she applied some make-up and ran down the steps.

"Kagome! Where do you think you're going?"

'Caught! That's just what I need. Why has mom become so controlling suddenly?' Mentally cursing her luck, Kagome turned around to face her mother. "Mom, I'm going out with Inuyasha."

"Inuyasha?" Satori chewed her lip thoughtfully. She knew that Inuyasha was her daughter's best friend and would protect her no matter what. Looking at the rising look of resentment on Kagome's face, Satori knew that this was one time she would have to back down. They had fought enough this past month about Kagome going out of the house alone and Satori knew that Kagome would lash out if she was kept cooped up any longer. Plus, she was going with Inuyasha. Smiling brightly she injected a teasing tone in her voice, "Oh! How sweet! Of course you can go. I wouldn't want to keep the two of you apart..."

Kagome blushed, "Mommmmm! You know there's nothing like that between us. Inuyasha and I've been friends like forever now and you still keep teasing us. For the last time, I like him a lot, he may be everything a girl wants but me and him like that...no way!"

Satori smiled mysteriously. 'I wonder how long she will deny it. He's her fate, it has been foretold, and I just wonder when SHE will finally realize it.'

"Fine! Go have fun. I..." Satori hesitated, trying to find words to describe her apprehension that something bad was going to happen, "I know that Inuyasha is capable of taking care of you but... just be careful. Ever since your dad passed away, I worry so much about you and now..."

'I can't even tell you the danger you are in, my child. There is so much that I have hidden from you...so many secrets... Kami! I just hope I'm wrong about these feelings.'

Kagome fingered her necklace which had a beautiful angel pendant hanging from it and smiled, "Don't worry, Mom. I have my protector right here. Between Dad's protection and Inuyasha, I'll be just fine."

Satori looked at the pendant. 'Time grows short. The truth will have to be told soon.'

As Kagome walked towards the door, her mother called out, "Don't be late!" 'And be safe!'

Getting into Poison was no problem. With the recent spate of murders across town, dubbed by the media as the Eyeless murders, a large number of people had taken to staying at home after dark. So there were no serpentine queues outside, but still the place was chock-a-bloc with people. Kagome realized why this place was so popular when she stepped through the entrance. One entire wall of the club was being used as the bar, while the other side of the club was the dining area with tasteful seating space. A number of recessed alcoves, covered with thick drapes, were reserved for those anxious to dine in privacy. The center of the club consisted of a humungous dance floor which was teeming with people.

Kagome looked around with mild trepidation. 'How am I going to find Inuyasha in this crowd?'

She started walking towards the dance floor when suddenly she caught a flash of silver hair in the dimly lit bar area. As she reached the bar, she walked towards the man who was slumped against the bar with his head on the bar counter. Though his face was covered with hair, she recognized that silver mane. It could be only one person. 'I can't believe him! He started without me.'

Feeling mischievous, Kagome went up to him and pressed herself against his back. She leaned into his ear and whispered, "Hey handsome! I promised you a good time tonight. Don't you fall asleep on me."

A brief tingle was all the warning Kagome got that something was different before he raised his head and turned to look at her. The person against whom she was so intimately pressed had the same molten gold eyes and the same silver hair but that's where the resemblance ended. Instead of Inuyasha's warm and sweet features, the stranger's features were cold and harsh. He had four purple markings across his face and a teal crescent on his forehead. He was also, Kagome realized, better looking than Inuyasha, though in a very stark and imposing manner. And, he was a FULL demon.

Kagome panicked. 'That's not Inuyasha! It's a demon and I....Shit!' She sprang away from him as if burned and made to run but his arm snaked out and drew her tight against him. She gasped and looked at him in surprise.

Sesshoumaru's mouth curved into a slight hint of a smile. "I think you owe me a good time tonight, woman!"

TBC....

A/N: IMPORTANT: Please read before going to next chapter!

* This is a Sessy / Kag pairing, but there will be other pairings between other characters. Please do not review pointing out that this is not a PURE Sess/Kag fic.

* Please do not leave anonymous reviews, even if they are critical reviews, as I always like to reply to my reviewers.

* And, finally, give this story a chance. I know you will like it! ::GRINS::

Please R&R, will appreciate!